Texas gains two seats in Congress

WASHINGTON - Texas officially became the second most populous state in the country Thursday, stripping New York of the title and gaining two seats in Congress.

Texas' state resident population grew to 20,851,820 over the past decade, according to census figures released Thursday. The amount was a 22.8 percent increase since 1990.

People living overseas, but claiming Texas residency are added to the population to determine congressional seats. Those numbers raise Texas' totals to 20,903,994.

The higher population gives Texas 32 seats in the House, displacing New York with the second-largest congressional delegation. New York loses two seats, leaving it with 29. California remained the largest with a population of 33.8 million, up 13.8 percent from a decade ago, and one more seat for a total of 53.

The new seats would be filled in the 2002 elections. Texas now has 30 representatives in the U.S. House with 17 Democrats and 13 Republicans.

"That's a credit for Texas," said state Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr., D-Houston, who co-chairs the Texas Senate Redistricting Committee. "I think people are seeing Texas as a good place to live and work and bring up their kids."

Population estimates in the early 1990s had shown Texas overtaking New York, but the new census makes it official and sets in motion the redistribution of the 435 House seats.

"It certainly means we have had a very extensive period of population growth and change," said Steve Murdoch, director of the Texas State Data Center. "These are numbers that are higher than expected for the country and higher than we expected for Texas."

Texas' resident population made a 27 percent leap in the decade from 1970 to 1980, but numerically the state's 1990-2000 increase was larger.

The numbers released Thursday are intended for use in reapportionment and will be used by state legislatures to redraw congressional districts to accommodate the population changes. In March, the Census Bureau is scheduled to release more data detailing county and local-level populations.

The news officially begins a process that will mean months of politicians huddling over maps, closed door talk about trading a few constituents here for a few constituents there, and lots of jockeying and political wrangling to redraw political district boundaries.

"Officially, when you get the numbers, the wheels start turning" in the redistricting process said Bill Miller, an Austin political consultant. "How fast those wheels turn remains to be seen."

But because population estimates showed Texas was likely to get two more seats, the political maneuvering began long ago.

It played a role in November's elections. Republicans had hoped to control the redistricting process by winning a majority in the state House during the November elections, but Democrats maintained the majority.

Miller said he expects one seat to be drawn in Dallas and the other for Houston to accommodate significant growth of its Hispanic population.

"Democrats will try to hang on to the seat and make it a Hispanic seat," said Miller, who has represented Republican and Democratic clients. "Democrats don't want to give both seats to Republicans."

Many expect the plan to end up before a three-judge panel, which can redraw districts if it thinks they don't comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.

The last time Texas lawmakers drew their congressional map, a Republican judicial panel deemed three districts racially gerrymandered, drawn unlawfully to favor minority votes. In 1996, the panel redrew the state's map, affecting 13 districts, threw out results from primary elections and forced congressional candidates in the 13 districts into special elections.

Although the Legislature draws the redistricting map, members of Congress will be offering their own proposals, as will lawmakers with an eye toward becoming Congress members.

"Frankly the only time you see very many members of Congress around the Texas Legislature is in a redistricting year and sometimes that offends the legislators. I know it used to get (former Lt. Gov.) Bob Bullock's goat," said George Christian, a public affairs consultant and former press secretary to Lyndon B. Johnson. "But they will have influence on the districts. I will be surprised if any incumbent congressman lost a halfway favorable district. Some may have to take in folks they just as soon not."

Here is a look at the Texas population numbers unveiled Thursday by the 2000 Census:

Almost one of every eight persons added to the U.S. population in the past decade was added in Texas.

Texas had 16 House members in 1900. In 2000, the number doubled to 32.

Texas' population increase of about 3.86 million during the 1990s is roughly the equivalent of adding the city of Dallas, the city of Houston and the city of San Antonio as they existed in Texas in 1990 to the state's population.

In the past century, Texas' population grew almost seven-fold, from about 3 million to nearly 21 million.